The reasons for detention were the risk of committing a crime and the risk of escape, said court spokeswoman Christina Salzborn in response to an APA request. The accused comes from Afghanistan and came to Austria in 2022 as an asylum seeker.
The man was most recently housed in a refugee accommodation in Carinthia, where he deregistered in accordance with regulations at the end of January and is believed to have moved to the federal capital. There were “no incidents whatsoever” with the 27-year-old at the refugee shelter in the Wolfsberg district, Barbara Roschitz, head of refugee services for the state of Carinthia, told ORF: “He was completely inconspicuous.” As “Kärnten today” reported on Monday evening, the man is said to have recently registered with the Federal Office for Immigration and Asylum (BFA) to return to his homeland.
Bloodbath caused
The 27-year-old has been in the Vienna-Josefstadt Prison (JA) since Sunday evening following he “fundamentally confessed” during his police interrogation as the accused, according to the Vienna State Police Directorate. We hear from prison guard circles that the man has not said a word since he was transferred to the correctional facility. He also did not provide any information on his own initiative before the judge who made the pre-trial detention order. He is said to have not responded to the judge’s questions. The accused was also not represented by a lawyer. As required by law, he is now provided with a procedural assistant.
The public prosecutor’s office has already initiated the process of obtaining a psychiatric report. This is intended to clarify any possible insanity of the accused or other reasons for excluding guilt.
Fourth woman was able to save herself
The 27-year-old caused a bloodbath with a knife in the establishment on Engerthstrasse on Friday evening. The identity of the three killed women – they were probably Chinese women who may have come to Austria as sex workers with false documents – was not recently known beyond doubt. A fourth woman was able to save herself by locking herself in a room. She witnessed the violent crime, which was carried out across several rooms. She is said to be still in severe shock.
The suspect was arrested in the bushes opposite the red light bar following a neighbor called the police around 9 p.m. on Friday. He noticed a trail of blood that led from the restaurant to the other side of the street – the 27-year-old may have injured his hands while carrying out the crime during the fighting. He was therefore first treated in a hospital before he was taken to police custody and questioned regarding the crime.
